Friday brief: Police crime panel dismissed as ‘toothless tiger’
Here's our end of the week round up with some of the news from across Northants
Reform UK councillors sitting on the county’s police, fire and crime panel have raised concerns the group is a ‘toothless tiger’, as members have grappled with officers over demands for more transparency in response to the chief constable’s contempt of court finding.
This comes after calls for an extraordinary meeting to further scrutinise the case were denied at the start of this year, as it “does not fall within its powers”. Police boss Ivan Balhatchet was found to be liable at the Court of Appeal in November 2025, after the force repeatedly failed to produce body-worn footage of the arrest of Nadine Buzzard-Quashie, which took place in 2021.
The police, fire and crime panel is a joint committee of West and North Northamptonshire Councils that is responsible for scrutinising the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for the way in which they oversee the delivery and performance of police and fire services. It is administered by West Northamptonshire Council and chaired by its leader Reform UK Cllr Mark Arnull.
The Northamptonshire PFCC, Danielle Stone, was interrogated by the panel at the end of November on how she intended to handle her duties of scrutinising the police chief and properly holding him to account.
She told members that Mr Balhatchet was not aware of the force’s failings until October last year, which contributed to her non-suspension decision. She also laid out a number of actions to ensure lessons are learnt and investigate how the failures happened, including a peer review of Northamptonshire Police, changes to body-worn video policy and an independent review carried out by her office.
However, concerns have since been raised by members of the panel that more information has come to light since the previous panel meeting relating to the total cost of the legal action against the police, over and above the £50,000 court sanction, and other information on the body-worn footage from the original incident.
Requests for the extraordinary meeting to scrutinise this were turned down by officers on the basis that it would not reflect the panel’s statutory responsibilities, as it strays into operational policing matters, which is not in the panel’s remit.
Panel member Cllr Chris Kellet, a Reform UK member on North Northants Council (NNC), told the LDRS that he felt the meeting had been turned down “on very weak grounds”.
He added:
“If the Police Crime Panel wants to be transparent, especially with new information coming to light, I think we should have the right to hold one. The last [extraordinary meeting] was too short to cover anything and new information has been brought to light which discredited that.
“Being on the Police Crime Panel, it’s my job to scrutinise and ask questions. What is the point of the panel if we’re not able to do that?”
Cllr Andy Sims (Reform UK, NNC) also voiced worries that the panel was “just a toothless tiger”.
“There seems to be something just quite wrong about this,” he said, “There’s the information supplied, which wasn’t accurate, and we’ve asked for this extraordinary meeting as that gives cause for concern.
“I think there’s some questions that need answering and I don’t quite understand the prevaricating nature of not doing that.
“Even ignoring the person element of it, there’s an extraordinary financial risk that we as citizens of Northamptonshire will end up being liable for. I don’t understand the reason that we wouldn’t tackle it in a full and correct way.”
Responding to the claims that the force will be hit by a larger fee, a spokesman for the Northamptonshire Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) said:
“We have had some individual approaches from panel members regarding the overall court and legal costs incurred.
“Clearly there are legal costs on both sides, in addition to the sanction cost reported at the panel. We will share these costs as part of normal business, once they are confirmed.”
A WNC spokesman also replied:
“We can confirm that the information provided to substantiate the request for a further Extraordinary General Meeting of the Police Fire and Crime Panel does not fall within its powers or operating arrangements.
“The panel’s purpose is to support and scrutinise the Commissioner and it has no remit over operational matters or individual cases.
“The commissioner has undertaken to bring the independent review findings back to the Panel. At that stage panel members will have an opportunity to scrutinise the Commissioner further.”
According to the OPFCC, the terms of reference for its independent review into the matter were set before Christmas and have been shared with the panel for feedback.
The independent adviser for the investigation, who will work alongside the deputy PFCC Marianne Kimani, has been named as Patricia Richardson, who is a former chief crown prosecutor.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
News in brief
A sixteen-year-old boy has been charged after an incident which saw armed police deployed to a Northampton college.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will appear at Wellingborough Youth Court on February 3 after the incident at Northampton College yesterday lunchtime.
Northants Police were called to the school in Booth Lane after reports of a boy in possession of a knife. Police say the incident was contained within 25 minutes. He has been charged with possession of a blade on a school premises. NN Journal understands the boy was a student at the college.
Principal of Northampton College, Jason Lancaster, said:
“Northampton College can confirm that police were called to our Booth Lane campus at 12.45pm today. The college followed its established security procedures to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
“The situation is now fully resolved and an individual has been detained. Nobody was harmed during this incident and there is no ongoing risk.”
The Reform UK councillor who stood down from a cabinet role earlier this week has given a statement, with a seeming dig at the council’s leader.
Kathryn Shaw’s cabinet role as children’s services portfolio holder name was removed from the website on Wednesday and yesterday she said she was ‘disappointed by the circumstances’ that led to her resignation.
Saying she had made the decision was ‘careful consideration’ and ‘integrity’ she said:
“Children’s services is one of the most demanding and morally significant portfolios within local government, and it deserves leadership that is fully supported, transparent, and aligned in purpose.
“My commitment to children and young people in West Northamptonshire is absolute. That commitment comes from both my professional background and my personal values, and it will not change because of a change in role. I remain firmly focused on early intervention, safeguarding, and ensuring that children’s voices and needs are never secondary to politics.
“While I am disappointed by the circumstances that have led to this moment, I believe it is important to take a step back in order to continue advocating for children with clarity, independence, and integrity. I will continue to support families, officers, colleagues, and community partners, and I will continue to speak up for children wherever and however I can.”
The Reform UK cabinet that was chosen after last May’s surprise election result, is made up of many political newcomers.
Leader Mark Arnull has said he will take on the role until a replacement is appointed.
A Burton Latimer man pleaded guilty to killing his wife on the first day of a crown court trial into her murder.
At Northampton Crown Court yesterday, Paul Knight, 36, admitted killing his wife Isobella “Izzy” Knight - inside their home in Donnington Road on June 13 last year.
After strangling her, he asked his mother to look after their two children and attempted to take his own life before crashing his car in the town’s McDonald’s restaurant car park.
Police officers who attended the collision decided to search his address due to his odd behaviour and found his wife’s body.
In a tribute after her murder her family described her as “beautiful, inside and out”.
“I want everyone to know that Izzy was so much more than a victim,” her mum Helena said. “She was a loving mother, a treasured daughter, a best friend in sister form, a talented artist, and a great friend. She laughed, she cried, she worked tirelessly to provide for her children, she had dreams, and she loved hard.
“She was such a lovely woman, and I already miss her so much. She will never ever be forgotten, and we will make sure her girls grow up knowing what an incredible person she was.”
Her dad Tim said:
“When I think of Izzy, it’s as a mum. She was wonderful, she just shone.
“She encouraged her children to find their talents, and now as her family we will keep her memory alive for them. We will stand side by side and say to them ‘this is your mum, and she was brilliant and wonderful, and she loved you so much’, just the way I have always loved her.”
Despite initially pleading not guilty to his wife’s murder, Knight changed his plea yesterday to guilty. He will be sentenced on Thursday, January 29.
Detective chief inspector Torie Harrison from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major Crime Team, said:
“Her life was cut short by a man fuelled by jealousy and thoughts only for himself. He has left two daughters without a mother and there is no sentence that could ever make up for that.
“I am glad that Izzy’s family do not now have to go through further pain in the form of a trial and my thoughts remain with them at what continues to be a very difficult time.”
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Villagers fighting a new homes scheme have had a victory after the planning inspector refused a developer’s appeal.
An inquiry into North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) decision to reject a planning application for a new housing development in Barton Seagrave, which was proposed by Manor Oak Homes, was dismissed on Wednesday and saw the end of a long battle.
Local campaign group Save Barton Seagrave’s Spinneys (SBSS) said it was “still in shock”, but “absolutely delighted” with the decision and thanked the community for coming together to fight the development.
A decision notice issued by the council in April said the residential plans would ‘erode the character and appearance of the area’ due to the permanent loss of green space in the centre of the village, off Barton Road next to the cricket club. It added that development would have had a detrimental impact on residential amenity and ‘diminish the sense of tranquillity’ experienced by those who use the green space.
The plans sparked massive public interest, with more than 1,100 objections.
In the appeal documents, the inspector said it was a ‘finely balanced case’
He said:
“Although the appeal site is not open to the public it does add to the feeling of tranquillity and the experience of being within a semi-rural space. The proposed development would intrude into the current pleasant but unremarkable character of the locality.
“In place of small grass paddocks with minor associated rural buildings there would be a housing estate of over 50 dwellings.”
Save Barton Seagrave’s Spinneys co-founder John Hunter told the LDRS:
“It’s been an anxious wait over Christmas since the appeal finished, not knowing when it’s going to be announced. We’re still in shock and absolutely delighted – I’m not even sure whether it has sunk in yet.
“We’re thankful for all the support which has been given over the past two and a half years. We will definitely be planning a celebration to say thank you to the community for all we’ve achieved.”
Manor Oak Homes has been approached for comment.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, LDRS
A report by an environmental charity about heavy metals in Corby’s freshwaters will be published tomorrow.
National charity Earthwatch worked in partnership with the office of Corby MP Lee Barron and dozens of locals to test the waterways around the town in November.
The testing comes after fears that heavy metals left by the town’s former steelworks could be getting into the waters.
We will have a full report on Monday.
The fact I directly asked about these costs at the EGM in December with what processes are in place to avoid complaints on a trajectory to litigation and if she was aware of any other costs we as taxpayers would be liable for and she directly avoided the questions, instead praising her customer service team says all you need to know. The PFCC lacks the knowledge, ability or will to hold the CC to account, so if the PCP will in turn, not hold her to account, then we have no hope of ever rebuilding trust in Police. When they can lie to the court and just act as they please, with Stone tickling the CC's tummy telling him what a naughty scamp he has been, this just gives them free reign to act as they please.
Well done Cllrs Chris Kellett & Andy Sims for calling out this nonsense which is now hiding behind a legal wall based on justifications which do not stand up to any proper analysis.
This is not about a police operational matter but about achieving what is the primary function of the PFCC Panel, namely, to hold the Commissioner to account. That is exactly what Cllrs Kellett & Sims are trying to do but they and others are being prevented from do so on spurious legal grounds.
The Chair of the PFCC Panel is Mark Arnull and he happens to be the Leader of WNC, the council which wants the general public to know nothing (e.g. H&M loan terms). Cllr Arnull is not setting a good example and very serious questions need to be asked of him as to what his motivations are in relation to this matter.